Anhydrous hydrogen chloride is formed in the cracking of many chlorinated hydrocarbons. In the cracking of 1,2-dichloroethane (ethylene dichloride, EDC) to vinyl chloride some acetylene, up to about 0.6 mole percent of the hydrogen chloride, is also formed. Acetylene impurity in the HCl cannot be separated easily by known methods, such as distillation. Acetylene-free hydrogen chloride is directly applicable to many processes, in which acetylene is responsible for significant yield losses or unwanted impurity formations, e.g., oxychlorination of ethylene.
It is an object of this invention to reduce the quantity of acetylene in anhydrous HCl to a very low level.
It is another object of this invention to minimize the production of chlorine (Cl.sub.2) from the oxidation of hydrogen chloride.